Lions' Roar 02-25-2011

Auschwitz survivor at NCC Josef Rozenberg shared his first-hand experiences of being a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II.

Lions’ Roar february 25, 2011

14

Find out the best music shows in town, campus events and other items worth knowing: CALENDAR

15

normandale community college

Vol. 17 No. 8 free

www.lionsroar.info

V-Day not just naked babies

Valentine’s Day means different things to different people. But what does it mean to cultures different from mainstream America? Let’s take a look:

13

MCT Campus

Students react to unrest in Egypt: 7

The proposed budget shortfall is causing administration to prepare for less state appropriation. Opatz is brainstorming cuts to services and the ever-looming threat of a tuition increase: 4

SHORT CIRCUTED!

NCC’s has 180 computers open for student use.

There are 9646 students enrolled this semester.

Something doesn’t add up.

PAGE 3

NEWS

Budget shortfall means cuts and tuition hike

february 25, 2011

page 2

Briefs Dean of business finalists narrowed to five

As of Feb. 18, the position for NCC’s dean of business has come down to five finalists, according to Rex Gaskill.

They are as follows: The first candidate is Chris Austin, who works in the Economics Department at NCC. Next is Mi-

chael Kirch, dean of Arts and Communication at Lone Star College-Cy Fair in Cyprus, Texas. Third is Genella Stubrud, director of STEM and the Diversity Initiative Program at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

Fourth is JC Turner, chief technology officer at Cru

Wine Specialists. Finally, there is Sally Vogl-Bauer, who is the assessment specialist and administrative fellow at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

On-campus interviews are scheduled Feb. 28 and March 1, 2, 15 and 16.

Normandale Theater Department presents ‘Almost Maine’ Normandale’s latest theater production debuts on Thursday Feb. 24th at 7.30 p.m. in the Black Box Studio Theatre. Almost Maine, directed by Kathleen Bagby Coate, is a romantic comedy by John Cariani where residents of mythical town of Almost, Maine are found falling in and out of love in unexpected ways, as the Northern lights hover in the sky overhead.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. February 24-26 and again March 3&4 with special matinees on Feb. 26 and March 5 at 2 p.m. Tickets are strongly recommended as there is limited seating.

Admission prices are $10 for general public but $5 for seniors, Normandale staff and students.

Performances:

Feb. 24, 25, 26 @ 7:30 p.m.

Mar. 3,4 @ 7:30 p.m.

Matinees: Feb. 26, Mar. 5 @ 2 p.m.

Tickets: $10

for public, $5 for seniors and students

Student Senate News • On Feb. 16, students from Normandale went to Rally Day down at the Capitol in St. Paul. We marched from St. Paul College to the Capitol. 450 student from around the state showed up to support the Tuition Cap for college students. Neal Olmstead, Carlin Struckman, Isaac Davy, and Anna Johnson stay back to talk to their law makers to get them to support the tuition cap.

• Normandale Student Senate also start-

ed a smoking ad-hoc committee looking into the smoking policy here on campus.

• Student Senate will also be holding elections from the new President and Vice president for the school year 2011-2012 on March 29th and the remaining executive broad members on April 5th it could take could take multiple meetings to fill all the positions.

• Now is the time to submit nominations for Student Senate Teacher ofd the Year.

For more information please contact Bryan Fields at Bryan. Fields@Normandale.edu.

President proposes service cuts On Feb. 7, NCC President Joe Opatz sent a letter to all Normandale staff informing them of his plans for the upcoming school budget.

Here is his letter:

Dear Colleagues, I am writing to update you on our budget planning, summarize our current financial challenges, and share steps we are considering to address these challenges. As you know, we have received reduced state appropriations in recent years and have done many things to lower our spending through both personnel and non-personnel reductions. For this year, that has meant a balanced budget with additional money added to our reserves.

As we work to develop our FY2012 budget we are faced with a great deal of uncertainty about what the legislature and governor will do to the budget for MnSCU. We have been using planning assumptions that assume significant reductions in appropriations and very modest tuition increases. I believe that we must have a plan that prepares us for the “worst case” scenario. That scenario, adopted by most of the other colleges in the system and used as a framework by the Office of the Chancellor in advising the colleges, would result in a loss for us of $2.3 million (or a 12.5% reduction in state appropriations) for FY12 and an additional loss of $2.2 million (or a 16% reduction in state appropriations) for FY13. Reductions of this magnitude are not sustainable and could only be partially offset by reserves and for only a short period of time at that.

We will not know our state appropriation or tuition rate until late spring or early summer. Waiting until then to solidify our budget plan would find us making some very tough decisions without the opportunity for deliberative discussion and review.

Therefore, we have been preparing a list of possible budget reductions to save the college money. Some of these can and should be implemented soon while other more difficult choices can be deferred until we see what the final state appropriation will be.

Although not exhaustive, items currently under consideration but in no particular order include: Develop strategies to reduce PSEO costs: -Review organizational alignment and staffing in support and service areas of the college -Increase maximum enrollments for selected courses -Reduce departmental library budgets -Identify additional opportunities to offer the Board Early Separation Incentive (BESI) -Direct departments to plan on a 5-10% cut in non-personnel expenses from FY10 actual expenses -Reduce reliance on overtime -Review/reduce print publications and mailings -Reduce spending on technology -Leave selected vacant positions unfilled -Identify opportunities to participate in the MnSCU shared services initiative to reduce cost of operations, like processing financial aid.

We will be discussing with you these plans as part of the overall budget process. I encourage all of us to review activities in each of our areas for additional savings that are possible. I am confident with careful planning and the efforts of everyone, we can minimize the impact of the state’s fiscal problems on our students.

Thanks, Joe

see budget editorial: 4

february 25, 2011

page 3

NEWS

NCC’s lack of computers is a problem

by Tim Wellman Jr. Currently NCC only has 180 general use or open lab computers available for its 9,646 Spring 2011 students currently enrolled, according to NCC’s Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness.

Not so, says Andrea Kodner-Wenzel, the chief information officer on campus.

“NCC has 805 computers available for student use.” Unfortunately 625 of those computers are “in classrooms or designated for lab use and dedicated to specific technology needs,” she said.

With NCC restricting 77.6 percent of its total student computers to classroom use it makes it quite difficult for any student to find an open computer to use. This also makes the ratio of unrestricted computers to 1 for every 54 students.

To help free up the small number of general use-open lab computers students are advised to utilize the classroom computers whenever possible.

Students in specific courses or within the following areas such as admissions, financial aid, Biology, Computer Sciences, Dentistry, English, Mathematics, Nursing, and various clubs and organizations throughout campus can use the otherwise limited set of computers.

Of the 180 computers for general use-open lab it breaks down in the following amounts and locations.

The computer center on the third floor has 100 PCs and 20 Macs. The library has 24 PCs on its main floor, 26 PCs on its upper level, and 10 Lenovo Thinkpads, or laptop computers, available for use within the library only.

When I asked Andrea KodnerWenzel if the college has any plans to increase the amount of computers on campus, she said, “we’re always looking for ways to improve yet dealing with a tight budget and the economy have not helped matters. There are many hidden costs with computers that people don’t realize such as maintenance, software, and upgrades which hinder our college from investing in additional computers.”

With the ever-increasing student population at NCC and the upcoming state budget cuts in education one question remains. How will NCC keep up with the increasing demand of student computer usage on campus?

photos by Stephen Dodds

A

The keynote speaker, Omekongo Dibinga, a renowned poet and writer.

s part of the Black History Month celebrations at NCC, many events were held. One of them was a remembrance march in honor of the Civil Rights Movement on Friday, Feb. 18 when the keynote speaker was the internationally renowned Omekongo Dibinga.

Many people came to the event ranging from students at NCC and some of the local high schools. The event was described as “a great opportunity to get a diverse group of students some hands on experience of Black History Month,” said Shonn Schnitzer, dean of students at Jefferson High School.

Dibinga was in the area for a pair of speaking engagements and he was warmly welcomed by all in attendance.

Civic dignitaries including Bloomington’s Mayor Gene Winstead were present as Dibinga gave a stirring rendition of two of his poems and spoke at length about how we can all play a part in remembering the efforts and sacrifices which led to the civil rights of all. Dibinga is an accomplished trilingual poet and writer fluent in English, French and Swahili.

Examples of his work can be found on his website at www.omekongo.com.

Community joins together to celebrate Civil Rights

Above: Audience members awaiting guest speaker Left: Mary Solverson marches Feb. 18

& Commentary

page 4

february 25, 2011

Opinion

Looks like tuition is gonna be flying high like a G6

G

by Matt Homan editor-in-chief

iven the state’s $6.2 billion deficit, Minnesotans can expect a reduction in college appropriations. This year there is an expected 12.5 percent decrease in funds.

Early in February NCC president Joe Opatz sent a letter to all NCC personnel regarding ideas for trimming the budget. He created a short list of possible areas from which to cut the fat. They are the following: -PSEO costs -Support and service areas of the college -Departmental library budgets -Non-personnel expenses -Overtime -Print publications and mailings -Spending on technology -Cost of operations (like processing financial aid)

In addition to these cuts classroom size will most likely increase.

NCC is a much better deal than some of the other colleges and universities in the area. The classroom experience (I have heard from students who have transferred) is more intimate and the instructors here are much more approachable than at, say, the U of M. This is the main selling point for attending NCC. If classroom sizes do in fact increase then the only redeeming aspect of attending this college will be gone.

There already aren’t enough computers; parking is impossible and gets worse every semester; there are no sports. And now they want to increase class sizes and cut services.

Now, though Opatz made mention of trying to not pass these hardships onto students, saying that there will be only “modest tuition increases”, I’m skeptical.

Tuition is over-priced as it is. The cost of college is outrageous. The student debt that most of us will be dealing with for the next twenty years is egregious.

Many of us will default on loans. Many of us will not find gainful employment

this point, but if the past ten years are any indication of what will happen for fiscal year 2012 then you can expect tuition increases.

Count on it.

If classroom sizes do in fact increase then the only redeeming aspect of attending this college will be gone. after we graduate—at least without addition education.

So if I understand this letter correctly, basically Opatz is saying that the over-priced tuition will go up even further while at the same time there will be a reduction in services at this college.

Sounds about right.

None of this is for sure at

Lions’ Roar Staff Spring 2011 Editor-in-Chief Matthew Homan

Business Manager Yueping Zhu

Adviser Mark Plenke

Webmasters Dominique Williams Brittny Garrett

Writers and Reporters Emma Alden Connor Sharon Carroll Omara Anjum Steve Dodds Muse Ahmed Rebecca Freeman Derek Burt Evan Johnson Tim Wellman Jay Johnson Josh Wickstrom Miriam Mongare Caleb Sorernsen Ben Rasmussen Amanda Brown Amber Petrik Laurent D’Almeida Emily Rasmussen Bryan Kissee Shukri Abdalla

Address comments and letters to:

Letters may be edited for style and length.

Some stories in The Lions’ Roar come from MCT

The Lions’ Roar 2503 Activities Building 9700 France Ave. S Bloomington MN 55431 or lionsroar@normandale.edu

Campus, a news service paid for by the newspaper.

You can drop letters in the box outside our office located in A2503. 2503 Activities Building.

952-487-7032) or through the Minnesota Relay Service at

Funding for the newspaper comes from advertising and student activity fees.

Normandale Community College is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer and educator.

This document is available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities by calling 952-487-7035 (TTY 1-800-627-3529.

On the Web: www.lionsroar.info On Twitter: NCClionsroar

february 4, 2011

page 5

Opinion Facebook Photo

The stress of the real world setting in, can make a college grad long for the good old days

Quarter-Life Crisis: Not just a joke among friends

by Emily Rasmussen

M

idlife crisis. We read about them; we joke about them.

And in our 20s, we think we have at least another 20 some years until it’s time for us to have one of our own.

But is it possible to have a mid-midlife crisis?

I, like many of my fellow community college peers, am a full-time student who also has to juggle working full time in with schoolwork, bills, keeping my house clean and occasionally attempting to have a social life. I have also been living on my own and supporting myself 100 percent since I was 18. It can get pretty tough and there have been

times when I’ve joked that I was having a mid-midlife crisis. At first it just started out as a joke that my friends and I would laugh about whenever I felt like I was losing it from stress or just plain old hormones.

But then I got to thinking: is there really such a thing?

Do other people feel the same way? Have I discovered a new disorder? Am I going to be famous? I wonder how much I’ll get paid.

Ok, maybe not the last two questions. That was purely for entertainment purposes.

Anyways, being the journalist that I am, I decided to investigate.

Apparently, my idea wasn’t that far-fetched. I did have the name wrong however; it’s actually called a “quarter-life crisis”. Basically, it’s the time of life right after the major changes of adolescence and it usually ranges from your late teens to your early thirties. It seems to most commonly occur within those in their mid-twenties, many times not too long after they graduate from college. The

person starts off with all lot more is expected of us these aspirations and this at a younger age than there indestructible attitude and used to be. excitement about their new Some characteristics of a career and life in general. quarter-life crisis are: Only to be let down when Confronting their mortalit doesn’t live up to the fan- ity. tasy they had created and Feeling too insecure to played out over and over love themselves, let alone, again in their head. Bills someone else. stack up; their sense of staInsecurity about their bility is threatened. On one current accomplishments. hand, there’s a sense of freeThe lack of friendships, dom and liberation from not romantic relationships, sexrelying on your parents any- ual frustration. more. But there Disap“The person starts pointment still isn’t the structure of a off with all these as- with their marriage, kids, pirations and this job. long career, indestructible at- Tendency and etc. They titude and excite- to hold long for the ment about their stronger care-free days new career and life opinions. of their youngBored er years; mix in general. Only to with social these things be let down when it interactions. together and doesn’t live up to the Loss of boom, you’ve fantasy” close congot yourself a tact with quarter-life crihigh school ses. or college friends.

It seems that people are Financial stress. experiencing this more Depression, loneliness. now-a-days. Some may conThe desire to have kids. tribute this to the economy, A sense that others are while others just say that a doing better than them.

Frustration with their own social skills.

Well, the bad news is that I am probably not going to be famous. Seems that someone has already beaten me on the whole discovery of the crisis and failed to give me the memo.

The good news is that there is hope for us twenty-somethings that feel like we’re going a little loony lately.

These feelings of stress, changes in future plans that once seemed so set in stone and sudden urges to find some sort of stability in life are completely normal.

“You’re never going to be certain that you’ve chosen the right path,” said Abby Wilner, co-author of “Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenges of Life in Your Twenties.” “You’ll always have doubts, but you learn to deal with those doubts.

Learning to cope with that is when the crisis ends.”

Well, ladies and gents, maybe let’s start learning to cope.

february 25, 2011

page 6

NEWS

Republicans push for English as official language of Minnesota

by Becca Freeman

photo by Becca Freeman

Author James A. Levine and Professor Lynette Reini-Grandell, NCC instructor

Festival shows ways to use writing daily

by Becca Freeman Last week, the 2nd annual NCC Winter Writing Festival was held. It featured sessions for people who want to write, or are pursuing an English degree.

It had people come in from all different parts of the working world. According to the faculty who headed up this year’s Writing Festival, it was done to show how writing could be used in every area of one’s life. As for why it was picked to be set in February, faculty said it was a way to shake up the ‘winter blues’ and have something that could bring the entire community of NCC together and have fun doing it.

There were many sessions, and many people were brought in to share their opinions on what writing is for them. Also, there was a very special guest speaker, James Levine, who came in to talk about his book, “The Blue Notebook”, and share how it affected his life and others’. James Levine’s book was the common book voted upon by students in last year’s Writing Festival, and at the end of the day, they had another session to vote on the 2011-2012 Common Book for NCC. There were many different sessions, including ones on how to improve your writing skills in school. Some focused on how to avoid B.S. in Exam Essays, how to create paragraphs that capture attention, and how to avoid using plagiarism at all in anything you write. Others, like Writing in the Fine Arts, and Why Writing Matters in the Business World, showed how to take the writing skills you have and apply them to real life outside of school. All the sessions were there to show that writing is a big part of our lives, no matter how irrelevant it may seem.

One of the sessions called “Why Writing Matters in the Business World” was a very informative session that showed how writing is not only used in a school setting, but in every day life. It featured three business experts who in their field noted that they hardly go a day without writing!

Each one of the experts noted that in their line of work, they use writing for everything. They use it to draw up proposals, conduct research, and keep in contact with their clients.

Not only were there sessions on using writing in different careers, there were some that showed how to hone writing skills so they could be used to get you a career. If you’re somebody whose dream it is to be published, they had a session titled “Pathways to Publication” available. This session discussed the different types of writing and the different ways to have them published.

They offered tips on sending out your work, such as finding a match to the type of places that actually publish work like the one you have written,

and how to spice it up so they don’t pass it over.

It was refreshing for students to be talked to by people who have had multiple works of theirs published, and that it can be a successful career if it’s what you want to do.

Another session that showed how to use writing as a career was the “Writing for a Living: Working Journalists in the Twin cities Scene”. It featured a panel of various journalists who work for all sorts of different types of news publications. The four panelists each had similar tips on making journalism a career. One common tip was to be flexible, and to be quick at writing. News media are looking for people who can do multiple things, such as Tweet, update their blog, write pieces for the newspaper, etc.

The keynote address by James A. Levine was an eye-opening look into what he’s doing for countries where sex trafficking, especially high with children, is very common. Though Mr. Levine was visiting India to collect research on the effects of children labor on children’s nutrition and education, when he saw Batuk (the main character in his book), he was more than intrigued. This particular young girl was writing in a blue notebook, and this notebook became the inspiration for the entire novel. Though Mr. Levine was not an author, but rather a scientist, he wanted to tell this young girl’s story to the world. There has been a lot of impact from this novel, and it has been the reason for many schools to allow children in that lifestyle to have a place to go and do something with their lives.

James A. Levine, if nothing else, proved that anyone, even those without English degrees, can be an author.

Finally, there was a session to decide upon the common book for next year at NCC. The three choices were: “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot, “Zeitoun” by Dave Eggars, and “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.

Each book had a faculty member to argue why it should be considered for next year’s common book. Each book had a convincing argument as to why they should have been chosen, and each caused much debate. However, it is ultimately the responsibility of students at NCC to decide which book should win, and there is a simple way to do so. By the Writing Center, there will be a ballot box where you can cast your vote for which book should win. The deadline is March 2nd, so hurry and place your vote!

Ultimately, the NCC Winter Writing Festival can be considered a success. It did exactly what it was supposed to bring students together and show them how to use writing in every aspect of their lives.

Republican members of the government have been trying to pass a bill that will make English the official language of Minnesota.

The bill states, “No law, ordinance, order, program, or policy of this state or any of its political subdivisions, shall require the use of any language other than English for any documents, regulations, orders, transactions, proceedings, meetings, programs, or publications, excepted as provided in subdivision 3.”

What it means is that all documents pertaining to government business must be done in English. This would affect business transactions such as forms that are included in Spanish as well as English. There are, of course, exceptions to this new bill. Exceptions would include in educational places where languages other than English are taught to students, and issues that comply with the Native American Languages Act and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, criminal hearings, and public safety.

Some companies, such as the Department of Revenue, are seeking to claim an exception to this law, saying their business has Spanish forms on its website, and receives thousands of calls from Latino residents asking about tax information. Whether they will be exempted from this new law remains to be determined.

With the example of the tax services asking that the law not apply to them, it brings to light many issues with the law that critics have only just begun to point out. They also say it is prejudiced against immigrants and is harsh against their traditions and native languages. Even more so, critics claim it does not list a specific set of documents to be affected by this new law, and it needs to do so.

According to Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore David Long, “There are plenty of people here legally whose dominant language is still [Spanish]. That’s historically been true of many immigrants.” Indiana also is pushing to have this legislation passed.

Problems with this bill could even be more shocking, such as in other states that this legislation has been passed. Students have been suspended for speaking Spanish in the school hallways. If that isn’t ridiculous enough, imagine how much more it would affect the one thing this country has strived for—a democratic way to government. If this bill were passed, it would create issues for people who then couldn’t view voting documents in their native language.

Although they are legally citizens of the United States, they would be unable to vote. Drazkowski, one of the main writers and pursuers of the bill, and one of Minnesota’s representatives, says, “It’s about reducing costs to the government.”

He also says that by allowing Minnesotans to print state services in other languages besides English, we’re encouraging people who are here illegally or those who refuse to learn the English language to continue what they’re doing. He says as a country, we’re spending millions a year on these programs that don’t further our country’s ambitions.

february 25, 2011

page 7

by Emily Rasmussen

By Miriam Mongare After the amount of times Egypt has been mentioned in the news, I decided to look into it and interview students originally from there to obtain their perspective. I met Mohamed Sonbol and Karim Habib studying in the library. They are both Egyptian citizens and have a very humble nature that attracted my attention. Though things are now looking up for Egypt as the president decided to step down from power and flee the country, I still wanted to get their opinion on the chaos back in their home country. I asked them a few questions about the ongoing crisis in their country that had been progressing rampantly How long did you live in Egypt?

Mohamed Sonbol: I lived in Egypt for 12 years.

Karim Habib:I lived in Egypt for 16 years.

How do you feel about what is happening in Egypt at the moment?

M.S: If I were in Egypt today, I would be protesting against the president as well. I think he should let go of his power.

K.H: I feel terrible for Egypt, especially the people who are trying so hard to fight, but I would do the same thing if I were there.

What do you think is the right thing to be done?

M.S: Right now the president needs to give up power. The right thing is being done by ‘protesting against him’.

K.H: Yes, I agree that the right thing to be done is for the people to keep protesting and the president should step down from power.

Do you think the government’s idea to shut down the internet and mobile phones was a fitting punishment?

M.S: I think that was a silly idea to think that would have done anything to stop protests. In fact, it would have actually led a loss of several

Photo by Miriam Mongardi.

Top: Mohamed Sonbol. Bottom: Karim Habib.

Photo by Miriam Mongardi.

operations in the country.

Internet is being used by everybody as much as the mobile phones and that was just not necessary and also a very unwise decision.

K.H: I think it was a very unnecessary thing to do because it led to business failure since most businesses depend on the internet. Cutting off the internet in Egypt actually made me lose contact with my mom for awhile, even though I know she is doing fine now.

Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, had been in power for 30 years, and that’s a very foreign concept to Americans. Do you think his prolonged presidential term could have been avoided, and if so, how?

M.S: It could have been

avoided if he left the country and stepped down long ago, but he couldn’t let go.

Eventually, his corrupt government became too much for the Egyptian people to handle and they decided to finally do something about it.

K.H: It could have been avoided if he had left earlier but there’s no way Mubarak would have willingly stepped down. He only did so because people were protesting against him. However, his time has passed and it’s time for him to go.

After interviewing these students, it was clear to me they felt the same as many of the citizens in Egypt. Hopefully, there will be a new president more suited to run the country.

Now that NCC has changed student e-mailfrom metnet.edu to normandale.edu, many questions come to mind regarding this switch. Why the change?

When will it happen?

Jeff Judge, dean of Humanities, answered some of these questions.

Tell me a little bit about this email change. Why are we doing it? What is the benefit? Are there any non-benefits from it?

I can’t think of anything that’s negative about this except maybe the confusion factor while we’re switching over. The change over’s happening because the metnet service is no longer going to be supported.

So we’ve moved to this new email system that is going to be a secure site…

It does offer some expanded services as well…Just like metnet, you’ll be able to, if you want, Jeff Judge forward all of your information that goes to your Normandale. edu email onto whatever like a Gmail account if you want.

How long have you guys been thinking about this?

We found out about it at Deans Counsel in the fall and because a lot of people were having questions about it in upper management of the college, we decided it would be smart to put together a work group to facilitate the roll out plan of it. I think it’s going to be very smooth. I hesitate to say this but I do think we have headed off any bugs that could happen before we roll it out Do you know why metnet suddenly won’t be supported?

I don’t know why. I doubt that it would be random, but that is a question you might want to ask our new CIO. Do we know a set date in February when this all begins?

We purposely didn’t tell faculty or students or anybody ahead of this se-

NEWS

NCC changes student e-mail

Students react to Egypt’s crisis

mester because we didn’t want them thinking that it was going to be necessary to have in place first semester. So we waited until middle of the semester to let people know, or at least, you know, got the semester going, because we want to work out the bugs…I think it’s going to be done in stages, so I think that there is a certain population that will start with rolling it over, and again, try and work out any issues that are happening before we tell 15,000 students,“okay, we’re switched to the other one.” The rollover process is going to be long in that metnet is still going to be serviceable all the way through this semester, which is really helpful.

Which is helpful!

Which is really helpful yeah. So it’s not like if you don’t activate your new email account that you’re not going to get the information. You will all the way through this semester.

So would you recommend forwarding metnet stuff to that account?

I have a feeling it’s automatic.

It sounds like it’s easy to forward everything to a Gmail or a Yahoo.

It’s very easy and I have sent out to all of the faculty the links as how you do it, and how easy it is and that… the best thing about this is it’s going to be a chance for us as a college to sort of reiterate “hey guys check your email because that’s how we communicate with you”. As dean, I get a lot of student complaints that come in and I have to use a secure network when I communicate with them. So I’ll come up with a decision to something and I’ll send it to their, currently metnet, account and then they’ll call me a month later mad because they haven’t heard from me. And I’ll say, “No I’m sure that that issue was resolved, did you check your metnet?” “Oh no I never check that.” Well that’s problematic…we have to use this as an opportunity to just blank it …we have a chance to get a clean slate here …let’s get everybody on board because it’s a winwin for everyone.

page 8

february 25, 2011

Destination: Seattle

When you only have 26 hours stories and photos by Amanda Brown

Only have 26 hours to visit in Seattle? No problem! I’ve already done the footwork to lead you to the three best places to view “The Emerald City”.

For Valentine’s Day, my boyfriend decided to fly us to Seattle. This was the first time either one of us had ever been to this city.

We decided that the main goal, besides Valentine’s Day dinner, was to find the best places to view the city skyline. So our journey began.

After a nearly four hour flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to the Tacoma-Seattle International Airport, we landed around 7:30 on Sunday evening.

From the time we arrived in Washington until about the five hours before departure, drizzling rain coated our getaway. That didn’t stop us from exploring. We loaded up our rented SUV and set course for Seattle.

By the time we grabbed our luggage from baggage claim, shuttled to the rental car company and signed the paperwork for the rental, our first night mainly consisted finding our hotel, a place to buy wine and eating dinner. Along the way, we caught a rainy view of the night time skyline but were able to take some roadside pictures (from the moving vehicle). Passing by along the Interstate, we saw the famous Pike Place Market, Safeco Field and the Space Needle.

I knew Monday was going to be super busy, so we got into bed fairly early.

Up early on Monday, Valentine’s Day, we headed to a place called Louisa Boren Park, to take sunrise photos over Lake Washington. Still cloudy and rainy, we traveled the downtown streets, around the town and up to the park. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see the sunrise, but I still snapped some great shots of the mountains and clouds. I firmly believe that this would have been a spectacular if the sky wouldn’t have been so

february 25, 2011

page 9 cloudy.

After the disappointment of not being able to see the sunrise, redemption was made at this next viewing location, which is the first of the three best places to view the city. Kerry Park.

Breathtaking views of downtown Seattle, Elliott Bay, the West Seattle peninsula, Bainbridge Island and Mount Rainier! Take a look at the picture and I think you’ll agree! Located on the south slope of Queen Anne Hill, this spot is definitely a must see.

Next on my map, is a place called Alki Beach.

This place is the westernmost point in West Seattle and gives a gorgeous view of the city from the west side. While we were on the Westside we ate lunch at eclectic Luna Park Diner, which had great service and yummy chocolate malt milkshakes.

When time is of the essence, the ultimate place to get the best view of Seattle is the Space Needle.

Rising about 605 feet above the city, this building has been standing tall since 1962. Night or day, you will be able to see the beautiful wonders of this famous West Coast city. Views span from the heart of Downtown Seattle, the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mount Baker, Mount Rainier, Elliott Bay and all the surrounding islands.

Again, if the weather had worked to our advantage, we would have been at the top to see the sunset. Even with the rain and storm band, the Space Needle was definitely the ultimate place to view the city. We even had a chance encounter with a celebrity and got to meet Josh Harris

from Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch”.

We ended our Valentine’s Day in Seattle at a lovely restaurant called Etta’s, next to Pike Place Market. Crab cakes, fried shrimp, calamari, fresh oysters and a bottle of local pinot noir set the table for a tasty dinner.

Now that you know where to go, you have more time to explore. My best advice is to never let time, or lack of, overwhelm you into thinking you can’t enjoy the best of a city. Even if you only have 26 hours to enjoy Seattle, visit these places and you will not be let down.

february 25, 2011

page 10

Feature

In this class, students ask each other about...religion

By Evan Johnson

Photo by Stephen Dodds

Kristen Cooper likes working with students from all walks of life.

INSPIRED

Upward Bound led counselor Cooper to her career

By Laurent D’Almeida Kristen Cooper is an academic counselor at NCC. She grew up with both of her parents. Her mom finished college, but her dad did not so it was important for him to see his daughter go to school and get an education. There is the saying that, “parents want to provide a better life for their kids and push them toward the right path.”

Well, you can say that is true about her dad. She was not sure what her major would be. She tried a lot of things and eventually ended getting a major in math.

She went back to school to master in counseling.

The major experience that has contributed to her being a counselor today is the opportunity to travel to Cambodia to volunteer and Central Europe. During this time she got to play in a music festival, tour and volunteer. A program called Upward Bound helped her to realize she wanted to be a counselor. She wanted students to achieve their goals and make them realize anything is possible. Upward

bound helps first-generation students with low incomes.

“It is hard being the first to go to college,” she said.

Upward Bound was designed to break the cycle of poverty through education.

Her Christian faith plays a role in how she goes about being a counselor. Kristen is passionate about helping first generation students because education means a better life.

She likes working with students from all walks of life to learn about them and because she has been fortunate to travel and witness the other people’s cultures.

In her spare time she plays the oboe, she runs, enjoys family and friends and is involved with groups and activities in her church or school.

Her advice to second generation students especially those who speak a different language would be to seek-out support, have people to encourage or mentor you so you do not give up and the choices you make today will affect the generations after you.

NCC’s psychology classes have a reputation for being interesting, and the Psychology of Religion class, taught by Professor Andrew Tix is no different. He’s been having the students conduct a series of interviews with students, to ask them some questions about how their religion affects them. I talked to Professor Tix, who has taught psychology at Normandale for eight years, to find out exactly what these interviews entailed.

The students “interview three people about their experiences with religion or spirituality. They interview one sincere Christian, one sincere Muslim, and one person of their choice, hopefully from some other perspective that they’re curious about…. This is a psychology course,” Tix said, “so I want them to focus more on people’s experiences, so how the religious or spiritual view affects how they think, how they feel, how the act in their daily lives, or how they approach relationships, or how they spend their money or time.”

“I tell them to try to steer away from the teachings of the religion,” said Tix as I interviewed him in his book-lined office. “So if they interview a Muslim, the focus is more on what it’s like to be a Muslim, not what does a Muslim believe. They interview these people, and then they have a class blog… they each are to write a description of the interviewee’s experiences.”

“They have to interview a Christian and a Muslim for two reasons,” he explained.

“First, I think Christianity and Islam are very powerful religions in the world, and secondly, we have student groups,” Tix laughed.

“We need to have someone around to interview.” The third person interviewed could be anyone the student chose, but preferably someone who had formed beliefs and did their best to

live according to them.

I asked Dr. Tix how the students were reacting to the interviews. “Well, it’s amazing,” he said, sounding a little amazed himself.

“The students love it… I think, it really challenges their preconceptions.

I mean, that’s really the reason I assigned this in the first place. I have this sense that people have these preconceptions about what it means to be a Christian or a Muslim or whatever. People get these stereotypes in their minds and have nothing to challenge them.”

“When you have the students do this, they start to kind of appreciate that their preconceptions don’t line up with at least someone’s reality. I’ve had a lot of people say that these interviews just smash their preconceptions about what it means to be part of one of these groups. And that’s great, I mean, it’s wonderful!”

The students in Professor Tix’s classes have much the same views. “I think everyone should do it,” said Beth Bray, a student in the Psychology of Religion class. “I think everyone should take the time to find someone they don’t understand and ask questions, because fear is that barrier to tolerance.

If you don’t understand something, ask. And if you don’t understand still, ask again…

“Tolerance is way more than just letting people be.

Tolerance is about accepting that other people don’t see things the way you do but still respecting them….

I think it’s definitely something everyone should do,” Bray said.

Other students in the class like Miah Gilbertson thought the same thing. “It’s awesome digging into it.

You see Christians, you see Muslims, you see all these different people who are associated with these religions, but you don’t know anything about them. And so it’s so interesting to dig in deeper into why they believe what they believe and

Photo by Amanda Brown.

Andy Tix how it affects them.”

When asked if she would recommend this class, Gilbertson responded enthusiastically. “Oh my gosh! I love this class! This class is the best class this semester that I have. It’s so interesting for everyone ‘cause it makes you think. It’s not just the psychology class where you learn about the people and you learn about the brain. It applies to your life.”

The class has experienced some rough points though, as especially related to the blog they set up. They received a very anti-Muslim comment from an outside viewer on one of their posts, and one of the interviews between two people ended somewhat badly. The class discussed these events and voted “almost unanimously” to allow the comments to stand, to better represent the population’s views on the subject.

I asked Professor Tix if he planned on continuing the interviews in coming semesters. “I think so.

I haven’t really thought it through. I change my mind every semester. And we could keep the blog up, and as new semesters go by, we’d have new students add and it would be an even richer tapestry.”

The class’s blog can be seen at tixpsych2400.wordpress.com

february 25, 2011

page 11

Feature

Tips for renters

by Caleb Sorensen With the ever rising cost of tuition, some of you maybe looking to cut costs or you may also be looking to just move out of your parent’s place. Either way, renting out a house or apartment is the best option out there for students looking to save money. However, beware because with the low cost of renting also comes problems that can spring up with roommates and other things if you are unprepared. So here are five things that you should be aware of before you decide to get a roommate and start renting.

Know Your Roommate: Recently, a horror movie entitled “The Roommate” was released in theatres. The movie focuses on two college students who move in together. It becomes apparent that one of them has some serious problems when she tries to take on the life of her new friend. This never has to happen to you as long as you know everything about the person you choose to move in with. If you decide to move in with a stranger, you can always get a background check on that person using veromi. com or backgroundchecks.org.

Leases and Rental Agreements: When it comes to leases, you need to be sure that you have all of your priorities in order. That means that if you sign a lease for one year, then you better be sure that you are not going anywhere for that year.

If you do decide to take off early and break the lease, you may be charged with a hefty fee or your roommate may even be forced to pay off the remainder all on their own.

Security Deposit: A security deposit is paid to a landlord before the renter moves in and protects the landlord from any damages the renter may inflict on the property. The first thing that you should do before you officially move into your new location is go over the property with your landlord so that you can point out any pre-existing damage, hence protecting your security deposit.

Location: It doesn’t matter how nice an apartment is or how cheap it is, because all that means nothing if the location is terrible. If your property is too far from your school or job then you will end up paying much more a month in transportation costs. Even if you use public transportation you will suffer from all the time you will be losing. Another factor of choosing the right location is making sure the vibe of the neighborhood fits your personality.

Normandale also provides a housing list every semester which shows available renting and housing options for students near Normandale.

Cost of Living: As college students, our budgets are perpetually being stretched to their limits. So finding the perfect living situation that fits our budgets is critical. However, it is important to remember that the cost of renting per month is nowhere near the actual cost of living. You will still need to pay for food, transportation, entertainment and of course, college tuition. With all of that taken into account it can become quite easy to rack up over $1,000 a month in expenses.

february 25, 2011

NEWS

page12

Community garden on campus?

by Ben Rasmussen Community Gardens have been springing up across the country at breakneck speeds. With the current green revolution, an increasing number of individuals are seeing the value of local, fresh and whole foods and the benefits growing them can provide. Learning how to produce one’s own healthy food is an invaluable life skill that everyone should know. Since Normandale is an institution of higher education that does its best to prepare its students to be successful future leaders, it only makes sense to have one on campus.

The goal of a community garden is to form a cooperative place in which community members can work together and stake out a plot and grow their own food. This is done while improving a neighborhood’s sense of community, promoting positive interaction and encouraging physical exercise.

The city of Bloomington has more than doubled the amount of available community garden plots for this season to a total of 82 plots at two sites. Members apply for a plot via the cities garden website and pay a fee of $32 per season per plot.

Mara Evans, from the city’s park and recreation department, says that in past seasons the gardens have been “outrageously popular” and that “all plots are usually gone the very first day applications are accepted and we added more plots based on the level of demand and also because we were getting so many referrals from Richfield and Edina”.

A community garden on campus could be whatever we wanted it to be. It could be a traditional community garden, open to students and neighbors of the school.

This alone could improve the image of Normandale as a community partner

and in the MNSCU world as a progressive campus.

It could be taken further; students could be offered credit for working in the garden or it could be done as service learning. The food could then be donated to a participating food shelf or directly to families in need. The college of St. Olaf in Northfield, MN, has a very large and successful garden (STOGROW) near their campus that is run and maintained by students and faculty. The produce is then sold to Bon Appétit, their food service provider, and the profits make the garden completely self sustaining, according to their website.

The point is, a garden on campus could be tailored to meet our exact needs and desires.

According to Joseph McCulloch, faculty in biology, there had been brief talk of a community garden before, but nothing came of it. When I approached him with the idea, he was eager, interested and brought me along to Normandale’s green committee meeting where I was able to pitch the idea. Chairman Carolyn Wanamaker, faculty in chemistry, along with the others was keen on the idea and would like to see a community garden on campus.

The next step is to find out what space we would be able to use, as every square inch of campus space is documented and allotted for a certain purpose. McCulloch has been in contact with Jon Stein, building services, about a potential location. The good thing about a project like this is that we will be able to work with whatever space we can get and do our best with it. In a scouting trip I took around the school I found ample space along the east side of the building parallel to France Avenue that could be used for the bulk of the garden and the front of the building could be home to a few large, raised bed gar-

photo courtesy of www.giveplantsachance.com

Normandale students hope to have a garden similar to this one dens.

Currently there are approximately 15 students and teachers who are will-

ing to help get this project underway.

Once space gets approved, a committee will be set up and planning

can begin. If you want to be a part of the garden please send an e-mail to Nccgarden@gmail.com

page 13

february 25, 2011

S

During Valentine’s Day it is assumed that most couples have to: Celebrate it romantically; couples get together on this day intimately Red flowers are passed from the male partner to the female mostly Most people dress in red outfits, which symbolizes love. Some cultures consider red to be a death symbol, therefore they do not recognize this day as special.

During the Valentine’s season, most stores usually have higher sales of strawberries and whipped cream! (Interesting) Is there a special way of spending this time in your culture? In Japan, it is only the women who give presents (mainly chocolates) to men. Japanese women are usually too shy to express their love. Men are too busy with business and only express love by showing up early on this particular day.

February 14th is celebrated in Mexico as the Día de San Valentin, but it’s more commonly referred to as El Día Del Amor y la Amistad, the “day of love and friendship.” People commonly give flowers, candies and balloons to their romantic partners, but it’s also a day to show appreciation for friends. At Normandale, most people are dressed as usual and everything runs normally. A few people from other cultures recognized this day and at least dressed for it.

feature

aint Valentine’s Day, commonly shortened to Valentine’s Day is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established

by Pope Gelasius I in 500 AD. It was deleted from the Roman calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI, but its religious observance is still permitted. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending cards.

The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

Valentine’s Customs

stories and photos by Miriam Mongare

Top: Dressing up for Valentine’s Day Bottom Left: A heart-shaped Valentine’s Day gift Bottom Right Below: Rose Bottom Right: A gift card

feature

page 14

First-hand account of life during Nazi occupation

gogues as being large and beautiful.

In 1939 Rozenberg had Josef Rozenberg, just graduated the seventh survivor of the hograde when the Nazis overlocaust, spoke at NCCs sectook Poland.

As a result, this ond annual Success Day. He was one of the many Jews was the highest degree of living in Poland when it was education he received. He was fourteen when invaded and taken the war broke out. over by Nazi Ger“They would grab many.

Jews off the street Rozenberg, a very and force them to soft-spoken man, wash German tanks stood in front of hunand machine guns,” dreds to tell his story claims Rozenberg. of experiencing the Some were forced nightmare of genoto use their tallis to cide first hand. scrub such weapons, Rozenberg Life in Poland was a type of scarf Jewtough even before ish men wear during the invasion due to a failing prayer service. economy caused by dictaBefore too long the Nazis torships. Josef Rozenberg had established a curfew was the fourth child of six, of 5:00pm for the Jewish four girls and two boys. His father owned a small busi- people. His father’s shop ness that focused on kitch- was closed down by the en utensils and steadily Germans and the beautiful employed ten workers. He synagogues burned to the spoke of the local syna- ground. Shortly thereafter

by Bryan Kissee

february 25, 2011 Jews were made to wear blue and white armbands or the Star of David so the Nazis could easily identify them. Jews that did not follow these rules would be jailed or shot no matter if they were women or children.

In October 1939, Rozenberg’s family, along with many others, were forced to move to the Polish town of Lodz, better known as the Lodz Ghetto. Living situations were less than poor.

There was no running water, just a pump, so when the weather would get below freezing there was no water.

There were no bathrooms, instead outhouses and no place to buy food.

The Germans put factories in the ghetto that produced supplies for their army and forced Jews to work in them in exchange for food.

“If you did not work, you did not get any food rations,” said Rozensberg. Even though this trade of food for work was not guaranteed, at the age of fourteen he took the risk and started working in these German factories.

He states that, “You have to take a chance or you won’t have a chance to survive in

any case.”

In 1942, Germans went to the Jewish elders of the ghetto and asked that they give them 25,000 of their people--the old, sick, the ones who couldn’t work-and they would take them to farms where life would be much easier on them.

The elders agreed and gave the Nazis 25,000 people. Rozensberg’s mother and his younger brother were part of those individuals that left.

“That was the last time I seen them,” he said. Within a few hours of leaving the ghetto, those who made up the 25,000 were executed.

In 1944, Rozenberg, his father and four sisters left the ghetto. Along with many other Jews they were put in cattle cars and shipped to concentration camps.

When his family arrived in Auschwitz, a concentration camp in Poland, they were told to leave their personal belongings on the ground and were divided up by sex. This was the last time Rozenberg would see three of his four sisters (His oldest sister survived the holocaust as well).

They were taken to facili-

ties that had large shower systems; at one point his father and he were split up.

Rozenberg went into one shower room, his father into another. He said that when the shower system was turned on in the room, water came out; it was actually a shower. Unfortunately the room his father was in did not have the same result, it was a gas chamber.

He was later moved to another camp called Ahlem, located in Hannover, Germany, where he says the living conditions were even poorer than the previous; the work was harder and the food was scarce.

At one point, the Germans were taking Jewish volunteers within the concentration camp where Rozenberg was, to go on a march to another camp. He was so weak that he could not even walk, so he chose not to go.

A few days after the volunteered Jews were marched to another camp, on April 10, 1945; the Ahlem concentration camp was liberated

by U.S. troops. Josef Rozenberg had officially survived the worst genocide mankind has ever faced.

page 15

CALENDAR

february 25, 2011

FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 19, 2011

monday

28

tuesday

1

wednesday

2

friday

thursday

4

South Suburban Conference Art Show, March 1-27, NCC Fine Arts Gallery Priority Deadline for all two-year degrees, certificates and the MnTC certification applications Community SpeakerMary Dierich RN geriatric Nurse Practitioner, 10 a.m.

A2556

7

saturday

5

Aim for the Head: The Zombie Pajama Party, 8 p.m.-2 a.m., The Loft at Barfly, 711 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis

‘‘Almost, Maine’’ NCC Black Box Studio,March 3-4 at 7:30 p.m. , March 5 at 2 p.m.

9

8

12

spring break!!

14 Comedy Open Mic Night, 8-11 p.m., Half Time Rec, 1013 Front Ave.,St.Paul

15 Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul, 7 p.m., Dakota Jazz Club, 1010 Nicollet Ave. S., Minneapolis

16

Good Charlotte with Forever the Sickest Kids and This Century, 5 p.m., First Avenue Mainroom, all ages

LOOKING AHEAD...

NCC Intramural Public Speaking Contest - March 28, two required prelim rounds at 2 and 3:15 P.M.. Details and sign up by March 25 outside C2016.

Auditions for Normandale Student Commencement Speaker April 25, 3 p.m.

C2003 Contact Mike Wartman.

17 The Japhies CD release show with City of Sound, Live From Heaven and American Revival, 7th Streeet Entry, Minneapolis, doors at 8 p.m., 18+

NCC Night With The Timberwolves - March 30, 7 p.m ,Target Center 6th Annual Soup Bowl Sale March 23, 10:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m., F1293

18

19

CAMPUS CLUBS MONDAY Campus Crusade for Christ – 11 a.m. in A2562 Archaeology club – noon, S2338 Gay-Straight Student Alliance – 3 p.m., C2032 TUESDAY Break-dance club – 3:30-6 p.m., S2338 or A1570 InterVarsity Christian Fellowship – 9 a.m. in F2231 and 11:30 a.m. in F2235 Juggling club – noon, Gymnasium Hats for the Homeless, 11 a.m., A2552 Student Senate – 2 p.m., A2570 Black Student Alliance – 1 p.m., L1747 Table Tennis Club – 3-5 p.m., A2562 WEDNESDAY Break-dance club – 3:30-6 p.m., S2338 or A1570 IVCF – 11 a.m. in L1747, noon in S2322 IVCF – Bible Discovery, noon, L3701 Peer Mentors – 2-4 p.m., TBD Tae Kwon Do – 3 p.m., A1560 Table Tennis Club – 3-5 p.m., A1550 NCC STEM Club – 4 p.m., S2320 THURSDAY IVCF Women’s Group 4 p.m. at Rachel’s CSL – Intercultural Service Circles, 1p.m., A2570 Anthropolgy Club – 3:30 p.m. ,S2320 FRIDAY Break-dance club – 3:30-6 p.m., S2338 or A1570 Outdoor Club – 2 p.m., front of the building Tae Kwon Do – 2-4 p.m., A 1560

page 16

february 25, 2011

TRANSFER QUALIFYING CREDITS AND YOU CAN

transform your life complete your bachelor’s degree When you’ve completed your associate degree you’ll have many great options ahead of you and one is DeVry University. We work with community college students to make sure qualifying credits transfer seamlessly and that you have everything you need, including: • Access to required courses • Financial aid • Lifetime Career Services for all graduates

2 Twin Cities Locations Edina | St. Louis Park

For more information on earning your bachelor’s degree, please visit DeVry.edu/cc.

Program availability varies by location. ©2011 DeVry Educational Development Corp. All rights reserved.